By Everyone knows that the fate of Android rests on the shoulders of those developing for the platform. If it has cool and useful applications that make using Android Handsets effective and fun, score. If not… then… unscore?
In any case, QuickOffice makes viewing Microsoft Office Documents on your mobile device a breeze. That includes .docx, .xlsx and .ppt files. That’s great news for Android as it promises to lure in all those users currently involved in WinMo Mania. Furthermore, according to EngadgetMobile, it will be equipped with technology that will allow you to access documents remotely. And since it’s called a “mobile” phone… yeah… good idea.
So this is great news for Andoid and future Android users but what about Google? Google has been actively promoting their own software package as a Microsoft Office competitor with very limited success. People simply prefer Word, PowerPoint and Excel or haven’t mustered up the courage to dive in and make the switch. Will Android perpetuate the existing preferences or will Google step in and preload Google Doc software on Android devices?
Google obviously wants SOMETHING out of this crazy little thing called Android and it wouldn’t be out of the realm of logic that they force handsets to be preinstalled with Google Documents version of “Documents, Spreadsheets and Presentations”.
So it looks like the first battle between fully Open Source and platform owned initiatives has begun. How will it unfold? Only time will tell… but to tell you the truth, we don’t really care what comes “preloaded”. The promise of Android is that you can easily plug it in, download and use whatever the heck you want.
As long as that process is made easy… this is a win/win/win for all parties involved.
[Original story via EngadgetMobile, Talk Android]
Great, ill buy android phone , this OS is amazing. … n free …
Eh, If google really sees them as a threat they will buy them out. Just like they do every other company lol. Now if only Nintendo & Google would partner up and get some open source Wii apps! (i can dream cant i?)
Also, and i hate to double post but i just thought of this, Google may be able to convince them to let Quickoffice use the Google Docs API and share them online… Providing an online editor and not really affecting QuickOffice. (I haven’t looked at QO’s current features so idk what they have already)
this is just the beginning. I believe we’ll see a ton of software for it before a first phone will even come out. already beats the hell ouf of iCrappers
This is great. Android is going to be the underdog for a while, and the best way to get people to try it is to show them that they don’t have to change everything else they’re doing.
This is Apple’s strategy for the desktop OS. “You need Windows? You can get a Mac and keep using Windows.” It makes the cost of switching lower than if you had to get new applications for everything you do. (You may do that eventually, but the transition is less painful this way.)
The easier Android makes it for people to switch from Windows Mobile or BlackBerry without missing a beat, the more adoption it will see among those consumers.
By the way, I like Google Docs, but I’d rather see them win users by being clearly better than the alternative than by being the only thing available on Android. That would be a very Microsoft-ish strategy.
Android is all about openness and choice. Let people install what they want, use what they want, etc. May the best applications win!
i see this as a none issue, you can install any browser on your android phone now. And if thats not ticking off google than this is no problem.